NGOs providing human services

What is an NGO

An NGO is a non-profit organisation that is independent from government. A non-profit organisation is one which ‘is not operating for the profit or gain of its individual members, whether these gains would have been direct or indirect. A non-profit organisation can still make a profit, but this profit must be used to carry out its purposes and must not be distributed to owners, members or other private people’ (Good Practice Guide to Grants Administration, NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet).

What are human services

Human services are ‘the programs, facilities or services provided to meet the health, welfare and social needs of individuals, families and communities. This may include, for example, health, education and community services provided across NSW’ (as defined in the Human Services Data Hub Taxonomy).

We may mandate the scheme in 2017 for all NGOs contracting with NSW Government for the delivery of human services.

Alternative contracting models

The below fact sheets provide a guide to contracting modes, specifically sub-contracting and consortia, for human services NGOs. They cover the issues to consider throughout the provision of services process. More information can be found at the resources listed on both fact sheets.

Human Services Data Hub

The hub provides a single view of human services commissioned by NSW Government agencies.

It is a business intelligence tool which enables aggregated data to be visualised, analysed and cross referenced to other datasets. The data is informing many of the Social Innovation Council’s initiatives. Further information can be found on the Human Services Data Hub webpage.

Social Innovation Council

The Social Innovation Council (SIC) is a strategic partnership between the NSW Government and the Forum of Non-Government Agencies (FONGA), established to help foster innovation in the way human services are developed, delivered and measured.

The objective of the Social Innovation Council is to improve human services outcomes by:

promoting the use of technology and collaborative work practices to optimise service delivery

improving the quality and accessibility of human services data for government and NGOs